Lifting and transporting objects and items from place to place often presents considerable problems in terms of not being safe, efficient and/or cost effective. These problems can be exacerbated in those industries and environments where a part of or all of the lifting and transporting of objects or items is required to be done manually due to the unavailability of lift or transport assistance mechanisms.
One illustrative situation is military logistics, sometimes referred to as combat service support, which comprises the discipline of carrying out the movement, maintenance and support of military forces. Along with the transport of military personnel, and although more comprehensive overall, military logistics includes the aspect of acquisition, storage, distribution, transport, maintenance, evacuation, and preparation of material and equipment. Logistics support is grouped into various Classes, with Classes III, V, VII and IX comprising equipment that can weigh up to several hundred pounds or more. In the case of Class V equipment, this includes ammunition, bombs, explosives, missiles, rockets and other similar items that pose significant logistics problems in terms of lifting and transporting these items. Moving these about requires great effort on the part of logistics support personnel, even with the help of the limited assistance mechanisms made available to them. Even items in other Classes that weigh much less than those in Class V can pose problems due to the number of items that can be required to be handled on a daily basis. It is not uncommon for logistics support personnel to each lift and transport several thousand pounds a day, sometimes over difficult terrain. Moreover, much of this is done manually, unfortunately leading to a variety of orthopedic and other injuries.